Holding Out for a Hero
by adagio11
Summary: Kate had dreamed about her Prince Charming since she was little. But now when she’d found him, he was nothing like she’d imagined. [TATE]


**Holding Out for a Hero**

**Summary: **Kate had dreamed about her Prince Charming since she was little. But now when she'd found him, he was nothing like she'd imagined.

**Pairing: **Do you even have to ask? TATE of course

**Genre: **Romance/Humor/FLUFF

**Author's Note: **This song was supposed to be a part of my extended fic A story in Tunes but instead I chose to make it a oneshot. I hope you'll like it and please review!

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_Where have all the good men gone_

_And where are all the gods?_

_Where's the street-wise Hercules_

_To fight the rising odds?_

When Kate was ten, her oldest brother had gotten married. By attending to his wedding, being a flower girl and all, seeing all the happiness, Kate knew she was going to get married one day. Her dream and promise was fuelled by the fact that Jackson and Andrea were still married, living in the suburbs of Indiana with their three kids. The American dream. And Kate knew she wanted that. But it was harder than she thought. She loved her job at the Secret Service, which didn't leave much time for the pursuit of a Prince Charming, and Kate began to think that maybe her career was her call. But then her ten year old self kicked in and reminded her of the promise and wish she made a long time ago. It was still something she doubted though.

Even the few guys she kept for longer than a couple of weeks, weren't even close to be the man she'd seen in her childhood dreams. Even if she knew she shouldn't hold on to silly dreams of a ten year old, Kate couldn't let go of them. The genuinely good man that she would praise and love over and above everything else, was still something she secretly longed for. She'd never admitted it to anyone. Not even Abby. It was her most sacred promise every made. And now with _all _her four siblings happily married, with or expecting kids, the promise felt even more important to keep. And she was going to. No matter what.

_Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?_

_Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need_

But despite her long lived promise, Kate Todd still lay alone in her bed, twenty years since the day she'd walked down the aisle in a pink dress, tossing rose petals from a small basket. The image of a Prince Charming and a house with a white picket fence, was slowly fading. She knew that. The more ten-year-old side of her wanted to think that one day, he _would _show up and make her fall madly in love within a blink of an eye. But at the same time, her rational side screamed at her that she was running out of time. "You're not getting any younger" her mother had said when Kate had celebrated her 30th birthday, which also, ironically, had been the day when Jackson and Andrea's oldest son turned 18. And Kate knew her mother was right. Hell, she may be the youngest among her siblings, but come on; her nephew was soon graduation high school. He was almost an adult himself, damn near ready to have a family of _his _own. And there she was, thirty years old, spending her days at the NCIS HQ and her nights, staring at the ceiling. It was a wonder that she had energy to do her job, senses still on alert.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for at hero 'till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

_Larger than life_

Her dream was still very clear in her mind. A bit ashamed of her shallowness, Kate had to admit that looks were pretty important. He had to make an impression. Hopefully, at least four inches taller than herself, strong but not afraid of emotions and also a bit protective, fighting for what he loved. Yes, Kate knew what she wanted and maybe that was why she was still alone in her bed. Her image was too good to be true? Was that the truth? Didn't that kind of love exist in real life?

_Somewhere after midnight_

_In my wildest fantasy_

_Somewhere just beyond my reach_

_There's someone reaching back for me_

_Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat_

_It's gonna take a superman to sweep me off my feet_

Kate glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 02:17. Not surprising. She almost never fell asleep before 3 am. But for the past weeks, the thought of spending her years alone, wasn't what had kept her awake. No, what was no bothering her was that her Prince Charming had a face. A very handsome, yet familiar face. Four letters; Tony. The mere thought made her cheeks burn in embarrassment. It had taken _many _sleepless nights for her to cope with the fact that her Prince Charming was a rather true description of Tony DiNozzo! Kate's cheeks burned everytime she closed her eyes and approached her dream and promise, again. Yes, she and Tony did flirt. Even she knew that. But she was fairly certain that was all. Nothing more, nothing less, than playful, innocent flirting between partners. It _couldn't _be more. It was against the rules _and _it was dangerous.

And then, of course, also the fact that Tony DiNozzo _was _Tony DiNozzo. His longest relationship probably lay somewhere around a month. Probably less! They were direct opposites, and she highly doubted if Tony wanted the same as her. He'd actually even admitted that he didn't want kids. Then _why _the hell was Tony now the Prince Charming in her dreams?!

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

Well, seeing Tony DiNozzo running around a backyard, chasing his kids, was a very appealing image, although highly improbable. Sure, his easy going and playful mind would make him a good father, but Kate knew that _he didn't want it. _Not like the way she did. Groaning at her only silliness, Kate shifted position under the covers. 02:49. This wasn't getting any better. Why was she acting like the end of the world would come if she didn't get married soon? Did her mother have that impact on her? Dear God, this was definitely not a good sign. Everything was right now just a silly mess. Her mother's nagging voice inside her head, just beside her Prince Charming image of _Tony. _Her cheeks heated again. But she couldn't help it. Knowing Tony for more than two years, had given her the insight of his many different sides. The playful ones, the annoying ones but also the caring and sweet ones. The ones that not apparently made her attracted to him. And he did have looks. He was at least six inches taller than her, he was strong and well maybe not that welcoming of emotions but still…he fitted the dreams. He really did.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for at hero 'till the the end of the night_

_Up where the mountains meet the heavens above_

_Out where the lightning strikes the sea_

_I could swear there is someone somewhere_

_Watching me_

Finally, Kate did fall asleep. The sun had already begun to rise and once again, she would only get around three hours of sleep. When she arrived at the office, Tony was already there. He shot her a grin and she skilfully avoided his eyes, know what would happen if she didn't. He said good morning and she mumbled some sort of reply back. This was going to be a long day. And it was. The clock had struck 8 pm and she, Tony and McGee were still stuck with paper work. As she typed, she could swear she felt Tony' eyes on her. She kind of knew when he was looking and when he turned his face down again. It was a bit freaky. Like a sixth sense. Now he was looking at her again and her ten-year-old side of her mind slightly wondered if it meant something…

_Through the wind and the chill and the rain_

_And the storm and the flood_

_I can feel his approach_

_Like a fire in my blood_

Weeks later, she still lay awake at nights. But now, she wasn't alone. Turning her head slightly she blushed again as she was met by Tony's bare chest and sleeping face. This was the tenth night he spent at her place. She lay on her side, hearing Tony's calm breathing behind her back. How the hell had they ended up here? Was this going anywhere? Kate had no idea why neither of them had allowed this to happen. The broke the rules, the frankly put each other in danger. But still, they always landed together in bed, sometimes just sleeping cause of pure exhaustion after a hard case. Yes, this was more than just an office fling but was it enough for being what Kate dreamed of?

She felt him shift behind her and a strong arm came around her waist. He murmured something and then buried his face in her neck. She still blushed with him near, her stomach fluttering slightly and she felt like she was thirteen again. Did that mean something?

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And he's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure_

_And it's gotta be soon_

_And he's gotta be larger than life_

The next morning when Kate woke up, she immediately felt that Tony was watching her again. A part of her was still trying to overcome the fact that Tony DiNozzo didn't sneak out at night, but stayed all morning, sometimes even all day. It was Saturday and Kate didn't hurry to let him know she was awake. She liked when he watched her, holding her tight. Yes, the real Tony did indeed jive with the image she'd painted in her head. Then slowly opening her eyes, she turned her head and looked up at him. He mumbled a good morning. He always did. First he smiled warmly, and then he murmured something along "good morning, beautiful". Another thing her Prince Charming would do.

But still, Tony DiNozzo was nothing like the Prince Charming she'd seen before her eyes when she'd watched Jackson and Andrea walk down the aisle. He was nothing at all, like the ideal man she'd promised to fall in love with. Food wars, paper clip wars and pissing matches wasn't something she'd planned on to fall for but Kate Todd had fallen _hard _for it. Now Tony asked her what she was thinking about. Should she tell him? About the promise she made to herself ages ago? Was Tony the right one to tell? And strangely, it was his difference from her ideal Prince Charming that made her slowly open her mouth and tell him the long story of the prince and the little girl who knew she would keep her promise. And that, she did.

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong_

_And h__e's gotta be fast_

_And he's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_**Geez, this was extremely cheesy and fluffy. Not good for my health! Well, maybe reviews would cure me? So please press the little button below :D Please please plase….!**_


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